Bus drivers in the local area are reportedly facing increasing levels of abuse from some passengers, particularly on Stagecoach services on routes between Callington, Tavistock, Yelverton and Plymouth.

A shortage in bus drivers, post Covid-19 lockdowns, is thought to be the primary cause of the verbal abuse drivers have been subjected to.

One source informed us that they had spoken with two Stagecoach drivers who had both confirmed that five other drivers had recently left the company in a two week proximity to take up HGV driving roles, which offer higher pay and no public contact, thus eliminating the risk of exposure to such abuse.

They said it was likely that Stagecoach had not been able to subsequently find replacement drivers, given reports of bus lateness and the paucity of some services which had previously run with greater frequency.

Tavistock resident Jo Linden, who uses bus services in the local area on a daily basis, spoke of her serious concern regarding how some members of the public are treating drivers. Recalling one incident on the route back to Tavistock last week, Jo witnessed a male passenger board her bus and begin berating the driver, blaming them for his lateness to work. People on board watched, perturbed by the incident.

‘It just makes you feel so uncomfortable seeing how the drivers are being spoken to and it’s not their fault’ she said, ‘I’ve spoken with other passengers and they feel the same way. This is happening in front of young children and families who travel on the buses too.’

Buses in the area have also been increasingly beset with mechanical faults due to their age — a further factor contributing to some passengers’ frustration.

Jo said that after being delayed twice in a week by buses that had broken down (which also left many other passengers waiting), she spoke with a driver who in response expressed their concerns about how antiquated the fleet in this area was, stating that buses are ‘just given a lick of paint’ instead of being upgraded or replaced with more modern vehicles and that ‘very little money’ was being spent on Stagecoach buses in the South West.

A spokesperson for Stagecoach South West said: ‘We are facing some short-term staffing challenges that are out of our control due to external factors.

‘We are working hard to get the new drivers who are in our training pipeline on the road as soon as DVLA licensing delays allow. We have recently seen improvement to services in the Tavistock area. The vast majority of our customers have been very understanding and supportive and we thank them for their patience. However, any abuse of our employees, who are delivering vital links in our communities is completely unacceptable.’

Have you taken the bus lately? Have you witnessed any such incidents? Are you having trouble with the standard of services? Tell us your thoughts on the subject. Email your views to [email protected]